


until the day ends

by lovinyoongi



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Kags is trying his best, M/M, rip tsukishima, tsukishima is sensitive and has a lot of feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-04
Updated: 2017-10-04
Packaged: 2019-01-08 20:35:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12261609
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovinyoongi/pseuds/lovinyoongi
Summary: kei isn't expecting this; he's not expecting the scrunch of tobio's eyebrows, or the way his eyes water, or the way his expression looks so... broken."please, tsukishima," he says, "stop calling me that."(that, he was expecting. but angrier and grumpier.)(except with the actual response he got, he couldn't snicker and walk away. all he could do was hide.)





	until the day ends

**Author's Note:**

> um i want to die bc of this

  
#  
  
its normal, kei's taunting. it hasn't gotten worse, if anything he's eased up on it, so why is he still getting glares? it's not even that bad, plus everyone knows tobio has changed for the better.  
  
why won't they just let him keep his nickname for tobio?  
  
"tsukki," tadashi had said one time, nervousness in his voice, "maybe you should stop calling kageyama that."  
  
kei glared at the floor, clicked his tongue and told him to shut up.  
  
he's not trying to be mean.  
  
don't they get that?  
  
not everyone, kei realizes, has his sense of humor. not everyone understands it.  
  
and not everyone can tell when he stops taunting, which is annoying, because he doesn't feel like constantly telling everyone that he's not joking.  
  
so, it's at practice that kei's world stops.  
  
he hadn't even thought about, it was just a nickname, just something he called tobio, it was _nothing_ , so why did everyone treat it as _everything_?  
  
"nice toss, king," he had praised before his block, asahi hitting from the back line as kei makes a one touch. he lands and is prepared to keep watching the ball till he notices that nobody followed his one touch. he frowns.  
  
and then he realizes why.  
  
with tears in his eyes, tobio stares straight at kei. and kei rakes his mind to remember tobio's, "shut up, dumbass!" that he usually replies with. but he hadn't this time.  
  
(he distinctly remembers shōyō saying tobio was having a rough day at lunch.)  
  
kei isn't expecting this; he's not expecting the scrunch of tobio's eyebrows, or the way his eyes water, or the way his expression looks so... broken.  
  
"please, tsukishima," he says, "stop calling me that."  
  
(that, he was expecting. but angrier and grumpier.)  
  
(except with the actual response he got, he couldn't snicker and walk away. all he could do was hide.)  
  
kei fucked up.  
  
and when he fucks up, he isolates himself.  
  
_this is fitting_ , kei thinks as he walks out of the gym, _take the one thing i have with him away, and replace it with nothing._  
  
nobody stops him from leaving, and kei realizes that maybe he's not even a commoner.  
  
maybe he's just the jester; tossed away without a second thought.  
  
he snorts and ignores the ache in his chest.  
  
#  
  
nobody speaks to him all weekend, and he's not surprised. he doesn't speak to anyone all weekend.  
  
when monday comes around, he still doesn't speak.  
  
it's a concept he thought of as he walked home, you see;  
  
if he doesn't speak, what's there to hate?  
  
if he doesn't speak, who could he hurt?  
  
#  
  
daichi is giving orders. kei isn't even standing near the small crowd of boys around the captain. he's sitting on the bench, next to his bag, staring at the floor.  
  
_this isn't right._  
  
_why am i so upset?_  
  
_tobio has the right to be upset._  
  
_but_ , he thinks as he watches tobio's eyes light up at the mention of championships, _he seems better than ever._ _  
_  
tadashi tugs him over to the group of first years. kei stares.  
  
"you okay, tsukki? it's three of us against the third years, are you sure you can play?"  
  
kei stares some more, grabs his phone and types his response.  
  
**i'm not going to play. you three should. you'll play better without me here.** **  
**  
everyone can read the message, and shōyō looks ready to yell some courage into him. tadashi looks shocked. kei doesn't look at tobio.  
  
he walks away, sits on the bench and watches.  
  
"you okay, kid?" coach ukai asks and kei just nods.  
  
he's quiet, now.  
  
isn't that what everyone wanted?  
  
isn't that what his king wanted?  
  
#  
  
when everyone leaves the gym, kei is the first to get dressed.  
  
"tsu-" daichi starts, but kei glances at him and slips his headphones on. kōshi puts a hand on daichi's chest and stops him with a head shake.  
  
kei walks away, and nobody stops him. who would want to stop him?  
  
his headphones are yanked off faster than he can react.  
  
tobio stares, holding them in his hand as he says, "you know, i said i wanted you to stop calling me 'king,' not stop speaking in general."  
  
kei stares, reaches for his headphones, but tobio steps back.  
  
"what's wrong with you? could you not handle the truth that you're an asshole?"  
  
"kage-"  
  
"no! why is he being so down when the nickname was only used to taunt _me_?!" and he's frustrated now, kei can tell.  
  
everyone is quiet, the room is quiet, and kei chooses to speak now.  
  
"i know im an asshole," he says, voice hoarse and scratchy from not using it in days, "but did you think that maybe, just maybe, it was a nickname i wanted to have for you?" and everyone stares at him now, and he clears his throat.  
  
"just maybe," he says, "if you changed... and you did, you could think that the 'king' nickname now meant something more than what it did in middle school."  
  
tobio stares, lips parted, eyes wide. kei cracks a smile.  
  
"but i'm just an asshole," he shrugs, "what do i know?"  
  
the lack of response is his cue to leave, grabbing his headphones as he turns and walks out.  
  
if kei almost has a panic attack on the way home, obviously, nobody notices.  
  
#  
  
the next day is rough. kei keeps his distance, but goes back to saying small, simple stuff.  
  
tobio looks at him a lot. tadashi asks a lot of questions. shōyō, too.  
  
he doesn't realize why till he's banging on the supply closet door, yelling at them to let him and tobio out.  
  
tobio sits on a box, stares at kei and sighs a lot.  
  
kei huffs and leans against the wall.  
  
"we'll never get out of here," he says, but tobio shrugs.  
  
"we should talk." he replies instead.  
  
kei sighs, lets him move closer.  
  
"why did you get so upset when i asked you to stop?"  
  
"i think you already know."  
  
"i wouldn't ask if i didn't know," tobio frowns, eyebrows furrowed, "tell me."  
  
"it's the only thing i have with you." he says, shrugs, looks at his fingers. he doesn't say anything else. he couldn't.  
  
tobio is quiet before he sighs.  
  
"the only thing you have with me is a taunting nickname that you know i despise? really-"  
  
"it wasn't supposed to be taunting!" he yells finally, eyes wide as he looks at tobio. he deflates as he looks down at his hands again,  
  
"at least, it was only that in the beginning. i just... i wanted to change it." and he feels the doubt weighing him down, crawling over his skin and up his neck and choking him, and he can't look at tobio. he can't do this.  
  
tobio isn't speaking, he's thinking; he's trying to understand why the hell kei would want to change the nickname for the better. kei's hands shake.  
  
"why?" he finally asks, quiet and confused and kei wants to leave.  
  
"i-" his voice falters and he doesn't look at tobio, can't look at tobio, wants to leave _so bad_ -  
  
"i just wanted to help." and he's done for now, because he's the biggest mess anyone could ever see in their lives. why did this ever make sense to him?  
  
tobio is concerned.  
  
kei hasn't stopped shaking and he looks like he's about to cry or scream or both, and tobio finally knocks on the door and says, "just let us out."  
  
the door unlocks and kei stumbles to get up and push the door open. he bumps into basically everyone as he walks out of the gym, wanting some place, any place, to himself because he knows he won't make it home before he starts crying.  
  
so he goes to the bathroom.  
  
and cries.  
  
which is the saddest thing of his high school career so far, and he swallows any sob that builds in his throat.  
  
if tobio hates him, if anyone hates him, he can't fix that.  
  
he can't help.  
  
#  
  
everyone tiptoes around kei after that practice.  
  
they're hesitant and cautious and they filter everything they say. two days after the "talk" with tobio, tadashi asks if kei would like him to walk him home after they get meat buns.  
  
kei frowns, shoves his headphones on and says, "i'm not glass. i'm not gonna break." and he doesn't look at anyone else as he walks to his usual path.  
  
he doesn't seem to look at anyone else at all these days.  
  
#  
  
it's normal for two weeks. everything's fine and everyone's normal, and kei isn't being babied and the tension is gone. kei and tobio still aren't speaking all that much, but at least he's not _not_ speaking to him.  
  
so everything's normal. till it's not.  
  
tobio is knocking on his front door, flowers in one hand and a small box in the other. it's raining, tobio's hair is a little wet underneath his hoodie, and kei lets him inside.  
  
kei frowns, shifts his feet and then says, "um. hi."

he’s a bit glad everyone isn't home.

tobio looks embarrassed, yanking down his hood and shaking out his locks. kei flinches as some water gets on his face, a drop on his glasses before he takes them off and wipes them down. 

“hey,” tobio breathes, looking at kei, “um. we need to talk.”

(everyone’s wanted to do a lot of talking lately, and kei’s anxiety has been on overdrive because of it.) 

he frowns, nods at the flowers and box and asks, “what's that?”

tobio flushes pink, shoving them in front of him towards kei. 

“they’re for you,” he says, a ghost of a smile on his face, “can we talk in your room?”

kei takes the flowers and the box, blinks, and walks to his room quickly. 

(he’s just trying to hide his blush, really. why the fuck is he getting flowers and a gift?)

tobio follows him, slipping his hoodie and shoes off at the door beforehand. he quietly walks in, watching kei stare at the flowers, a hopeful look in his gold eyes and tobio’s heart skips. 

“tsukishima?” kei blinks and immediately puts the flowers down, clearing his throat before nodding towards his floor. he sits down, pulling his knees up to his chest as tobio joins him on the floor. 

“what did you want to talk about, kageyama?” he asks, quiet as he stares. tobio smirks. 

“it's weird hearing you say that,” he says, kei looking off to the side. tobio notices as he continues, “it's weird but it's not something i can't get used to.” kei shrugs in response. tobio sighs and scoots closer. 

“tsukishima,” he starts, “thank you for not calling me ‘king’ these past few weeks. now go back to calling me king.” kei blinks at him, lifting his head up from his knees as he stares.

“are-” he pauses,” are you serious?” and tobio nods, grinning.

“you were right,” he shrugs, “just like always. i'm not the tyrant king anymore. ‘king’ is just a nickname you use for me, and it's different now.” 

kei blinks. 

“i- what the hell is going on?” he asks, genuinely confused. he really doesn't know what’s going on.

tobio chuckles, grabbing kei’s hands gently.

tobio’s hands are warm and calloused and kei doesn’t pull away. 

“tsukishima,” he says again, “i'm asking you to keep calling me king.” 

kei nods slowly, watching tobio.

“okay, i-i will, but,” he glances at their hands, “why’d you bring me flowers? and a gift?” he asks this almost shyly, almost hesitantly, as if he didn’t really wanna know. as if he hopes for something that won't happen.

tobio flushes.

“well, uh, i was also hoping confess to you.”

kei’s eyes widen and he grips tobio’s hands. 

“are you serious?” he asks again, and tobio grins.

“you have trouble believing things, huh?” and kei blushes as he looks down.

“you... like me?”

tobio nods, a smile on his lips as kei stares. his heart is beating too fast and he feels like he’s about to go down a rollercoaster. he grins at tobio.

“i like you, too… king.” and kei feels normal again, sitting on his bedroom floor with tobio as they hold hands and confess to each other. tobio lets go of one of kei’s hands and grabs the box on his desk.

“here,” he says, “open it.”

kei lets go of tobio’s other hand and slowly opens the box. it’s quiet for a few seconds.

“no. way.” he says, and tobio chuckles as kei looks up at him excitedly, 

“no fucking way! there’s no way!” he exclaims, picking up the tickets as he examines them up close. 

“i’ve been trying to get a code for their tickets for weeks! how the hell-?” tobio rubs the back of his neck as he smiles sheepishly.

“i know some people at the venue… they gave me an early access to tickets, so long as i pay a little extra.” kei’s heart melts and he pulls tobio into a hug.

the ravenette is surprised at first, but he relaxes into the hug as kei mumbles, “how the hell did you know i like them so much?” he asks, and tobio snorts.

“you’ve been listening to their new album nonstop, tsukishima,” he says, “plus, you sing parts of go go when you walk home.” 

kei blushes in embarrassment and hides his face in tobio’s neck.

“thanks, king.”

#

kei nudges his boyfriend’s hand as they walk together in the hall, and tobio looks up at him with a stunning grin. shōyō screams at them as they start holding hands, attracting the attention of literally everyone in the hallway.

“saltyshima and bakayama are dating! look at them, noya-senpai! look!”

tobio and kei share a look. 

this is gonna be a long day.

**Author's Note:**

> thanks for reading this IT WAS STUPID but thanks


End file.
